Book Review: The Way I Am by Eminem

Ok. First, let me say (& this has nothing to do with the book so if you don’t want to hear it skip to paragraph 2) that I have always liked some of Eminem’s music. Sometimes I don’t know whether to be amused, sad, or offended by it but, love him or hate him, I think he is super creative, a fantastic story teller and lyrically a genius. And most of the time, if you can get past the explicit lyrics and exaggerations, his songs actually have some meaning to them. You may have to read between the lines and know something about his life or history to interpret but it’s there. But it’s only music. It’s entertainment. And like any other form of entertainment it’s not necessarily meant to be taken seriously. I mean, I don’t watch a horror movie and think “Wow, the person who wrote this movie must be a horrible monster who actually did these things so I can’t watch their movies.” I’m not a murderer, thief or prostitute. I don’t cuss like a sailor…most of the time. I have zero interest in drugs. And for the record, listening to Eminem’s music or watching movies with horrific scenes has never made me want to do any of the above. Ok, a boring movie or song might make me want to do drugs but I resist the urge. And when someone hurts me or makes me mad I might call them names and think of committing homicide but I would never actually do it. Anyway, for some inexplicable reason I have been more into his music lately. I suppose I’ve just gotten way beyond bored with the music that is out there and I need something to wake me up. I’ve been reading a lot more too so when I ran across his book I had to read it.

I have to say that I found Eminem’s book to be pretty interesting. Probably because it wasn’t exactly what I expected…meaning it wasn’t all about music. He makes a living expressing his emotions and thoughts so I’m not sure why it surprised me so much that his book would contain so much of both but it did. I suppose it’s the ease with which he seems to convey them that catches me off guard. Who knew that he could do it in a semi-biographical, not-meant-to-be-taken literally, funny song & in a book that is serious? I mean, isn’t it the guys who are supposed to be bad with expressing thoughts & emotions? He comes across as being very real…just a regular guy. He touches on things that most people wouldn’t reveal because it’s embarrassing or shameful in some way. Again, why the shock? He does that in song lyrics all of the time. That serious book thing just really throws me off.

There are a few things that really stick out to me and surprisingly the most memorable ones are not about music. As soon as you open the book you are smacked in the face with 4 pages of pure emotion as Eminem talks about his best friend Proof who was shot in 2006. It’s very powerful and relatable. He talks about how Proof taught him to fight and helped him out with a cash making scheme battling (with words not fists) kids at Proof’s school. Of course there are plenty of stories about his music and career. You get some behind the scenes info on his lyrics and videos like when he got beat up as a kid, had blood coming from his ears and blacked out, hence the song “Brain Damage”. You get to read about how his uncle Ronnie introduced him to hip-hop when he was still listening to (get this) New Edition and Michael Jackson. Who knew? He breaks down the fine lines between Marshall Mathers, Eminem, and Slim Shady which I found very interesting. I sort of got it before but now it actually makes total sense. He talks about where the peroxide ‘do came from, what he thinks could be his biggest contribution to hip-hop, and the point where he realized that he didn’t need to get high to do shows anymore because the crowd was actually there for him. There are stories about his background that include moving around every few months, his house getting robbed constantly, choosing to be the clown over the shy kid in school, and legal problems. He talks about his kids, what they mean to him, and how he explains himself to them. He mentions his father basically to say that he has no interest in knowing him anymore. He mentions his ex-wife mostly to say that they get along now for the kids sake. He mentions his ex and his mom to say that it’s not ok for others to talk negatively about them.

What is clearly missing from this book is all of the drama from his past that involves his mother and ex-wife but I suppose he has addressed that enough in his lyrics. One other thing that is noticeably missing is his journey to get clean. These things could probably be another book in themselves. Maybe this isn’t the last book we’ll see from him?

The book comes with a dvd. It’s pretty short though so don’t get too excited about that part. It’s got some good concert footage and some of Eminem and his crew joking around. The book contains copies of lyric sheets or chicken scratch as some would call it. You can see how his lyrics started out before he perfected them. I don’t know how he deciphered all of them but I guess there’s a method to his madness. There are sketches of superheros and people that he drew…50 cent, Tupac, and himself. They’re impressive. I’m no artist but I think if the rap/producing thing doesn’t keep going he could definitely work on the comic book circuit.

Overall, it is serious and amusing at the same time. And, as always when it comes to Eminem, it is thought provoking. You can tell he feels like he is often misunderstood because sometimes when he makes a joke he puts “(just kidding)” after it. Imagine that. Eminem misunderstood? I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is an Eminem fan, a hip-hop fan, or a good rags-to-riches story fan.

Oh, one more thing…this is Eminem we’re talking about not Nathaniel Hawthorne. Expect lots of colorful language and imperfect sentence structure. If you’re a literary nut who can’t stand it when a comma is out of place this book is not for you.